Spring has been doggedly stubborn about arriving this year. The rollercoaster weather finds us swapping winter coats for garden rakes within a twenty-four hour period. Our five favorite posts for change makers and communicators reflect the wild swings of the season with a touch of green mixed in with high-voltage transmission lines and an experiment in storytelling. Here, ICYMI, are our top picks from what we were reading in March.
This is a light-hearted look at a serious question. Experimental psychologists have been demonstrating the power of ritual behavior to shift people’s values and perceptions. If rational persuasion fails to make people behave environmentally, could rituals and a dash of guilt do a better job? #ItsNotEasyBeingGreen #Ritual
Although the intro invites you to start a questionnaire about the role of music in your life, you gradually realize it is not a questionnaire, or at least not what you are accustomed to. Instead, it’s an experiment in interactive storytelling from the delightful online literary magazine Five Dials. Give yourself a few minutes to figure out what’s going on –– but then enjoy yourself. #storytelling
"A recent study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Colorado, Boulder, found that with such a [transmission] network, the United States could supply most of its electricity with renewables by then at costs near today’s prices and get close to meeting the goals set in the Paris agreement on climate change." So exactly why isn’t it happening? #energy #climate
In the Atlantic, Vann R. Newkirk II (@fivefifths) offered us a different take on second-person pronouns than we saw from @StanCarey in Slate last month. It has been a long time since I’ve read anything remotely positive written about ‘y’all,” a term it took me years to purge from my mouth. “English has no standard second-person plural word, and it’s time for that to change…“You guys” isn’t sufficient as a national solution.” #Language
I loved the Venn diagram here comparing things people do to create a sense of urgency to things that foster a sense of purpose for a team, with “Not much here” in the overlap area in the center. This piece by @kimber_lockhart rang true for a lot of people, judging by its popularity on Medium. #purpose #mission
How to build a social content library for a rainy day
Why Your Content Strategy Desperately Needs Serendipity
How to request a website proposal for your nonprofit
Photo style guidelines: Seven tips for your public sector agency
Did we miss anything? Share your favorite changemaker links from last month in the comments below. Tip us off to other great posts for future link roundups by shooting us an email at partners@marketing-partners.com.
Pat Heffernan : 3/3/16 10:00 AM
It’s just about sugaring season — the annual Vermont ritual when the sweet sap of Sugar Maples warms and runs out of the taps, a time for learning...
Pat Heffernan : 10/1/15 10:00 AM
Fall in Vermont (or should I say autumn?) is chock full of delightful distractions, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on special treats....
Pat Heffernan : 2/4/16 6:09 PM
This is a little bit of a cheat because our five favorite posts for change makers and communicators were actually published over a six-week period...
